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| (© Ken Drew) |
A (mostly) photo review of the opening performance of this year's Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in which the debut recital of a specially commissioned piece by Paul Taylor was played by Jonathan Bradley at the 'keyboard' of the carillon within the lofty heights of the Civic Centre's Carillon Tower, high above the city’s Council Chamber. Given that the performance was aimed at the audience in a public space, with the player hidden inside a tower which is topped by a set of carillon bells, this is a tricky one to depict!
This was the second of two commissions which Taylor received to compose music specifically for this year's Festival. The first piece, Interludes, comprises electronically composed interludes designed for broadcast through the venue's PA systems before, in-between and after, each live concert performance. Of note is the fact that whilst it seems to emerge as a fully-formed composition, Interludes is completely unedited and entirely improvised in the moment, which is Taylor's distinctive style, all played within the one-hour framework as required by the festival.
This unique music has been exclusively produced for NEWJAiM Recordings * and is soon to be released on CD and download. Taylor's second commission for the festival, Permutations, is an improvisational score to be performed as the Festival's opening performance (and subsequent Festival weekends) by Jonathan Bradley (the city's carillonneur) on the Edith Adamson Carillon at the Newcastle Civic Centre, with the music being heard outdoors and across the city.
Both of Taylor's compositions feature shared bell motifs, harmonising indoor and outdoor performances with a festival soundtrack that evokes the presence and sound of the Carillon throughout all the Festival events. Hearing it played live, for an uninterrupted hour long performance was literally unique, and being able to wander round the public space of the Civic Centre’s gardens whilst listening was certainly novel and interesting. Such a change from the restricted range of the Ding-Dong-Ding-Dong real-time chime from bell towers we are all accustomed to. The carillon has 25 bells, the largest of which weighs 71cwt, 1qr, 13lb (8,000 lb or 3,625 kg) which is tuned to A major. A Google search reveals a myriad of information, and of Carillon organisations around the world!
The next two performances, again improvised on Taylor's Permutations score (so each will be a new interpretation) will be 3-4pm on the following two Fridays of September 29 and October 6. For the first performance I circumnavigated the Civic Centre to soak up the differing atmospheres as I walked around it (thankfully it only rained during the last 5 minutes!). For the next, I've been recommended to listen from within the confines of the quadrangle which is shielded from the varying noises of the city centre. And with the company of 5 swans, frozen in a sculpture of silent flight across its small lake, for company. Sounds a good move!
So I plan to forego the view of River God Tyne on the outside for the Swans in Flight in the inner quadrangle of the gardens. Whilst the main entrance to the Civic Centre is on the North-West corner I suspect access to the quadrangle space may be via the South-West corner. Either way I'll be asking how to get in! Ken Drew
*New Jazz and Improvised Music Link (links to the label's 18 album releases)
NFoJaIM info Link (advanced tickets highly recommended for indoor performances)
1 comment :
Ken, no need to ask how to access the quadrangle, it's open 24-7 (adjacent to the entrance to the council chamber).
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